Robert L Lippard

Lieutenant Colonel (RET) Robert Lee Lippard of Harker Heights passed away, surrounded by his family, at 12:55 pm September 1st 2022. Born in Denver, CO on July 2nd, 1944; he spent part of his childhood in Liberia and Ethiopia, where his father worked for the U.S. State Department’s International Co-operation Administration. He graduated from the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell New Mexico as a Cadet Lieutenant Colonel and President of his class in 1965. After graduation he married his wife of 57 years, Judith Rae Jacobsen of Carlsbad, NM. He went on to earn a business degree from the University of Denver in the spring of 1966.

He later received a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve and was placed on active duty and ordered to Fort Sill, OK for training as an Artillery Officer in September of 1966. From October 1967 - October 1968 he served as a Forward Observer, Aerial Observer, Fire Direction Officer and the Executive Officer for Alpha Battery 6th Battalion 14th Artillery Regiment in the Republic of Vietnam. On May 30,1968, he exposed himself to heavy 75mm recoilless rifle fire, without regard for his own safety, to direct Alpha Battery counter fire to repel the enemy’s attack. For those actions he was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” device for “Heroism” during ground combat. After returning from Vietnam, he went on to assignments at Fort Leonard Wood, MO and the Officers Advanced Course at Fort Sill, OK before being accepted to Flight School at Mineral Wells, TX and Fort Rucker, AL. Along the way he and Judy added to the family when their first son, Robert Andrew, was born. After completing flight school, he was assigned to Fort Carson, CO where he received orders for a second tour in Vietnam as a CH-47 Chinook pilot with the 179th Aviation Co (ASH) “The Shrimp Boats”. Due to the U.S. drawdown; He was able to return from Vietnam in time to welcome his second son, Jon Christopher, into the world.

He served in a variety of assignments for the remainder of his 25-year career in the Army. He was an Intelligence Officer in Wiesbaden, Germany during the height of the Cold War. He took part in writing combat doctrine for the OH-58D Kiowa and AH-64 Apache helicopters at Fort Rucker, AL. He served as the Executive Officer for 504th Military Intelligence Brigade and 13th Corps Support Command at Fort Hood, TX. In South Korea he served as an intelligence liaison to the Republic of Korea Army. His final assignment was as an Intelligence Officer at III Corps Headquarters where he retired from the military at Fort Hood, Tx on September 30, 1991.

He is preceded in death by his parents Robert Archie and Adyne Louise Lippard and his sister Yvonne Chisman.

He is survived by his wife Judith Rae, his sons Robert Andrew and Jon Christopher, his daughter-in-law Cindy Marie, his grandchildren Shelby Raynue, Robert Zachary and Chloe Amia-Yong, his great granddaughter Brielle Iris Rodriguez, his sister-in-law Carol Taylor and brother in law, Lee Jacobsen.